Over the winter, Sibylle and I fell into the habit of having take-out Chinese food for dinner on Sunday evenings. There were a couple of very good restaurants near the apartment (one in particular was excellent) that we could call and, in ten minutes or so, have piping hot Honey glazed chicken and wok roasted chicken to eat. We almost always combined this with a movie on DVD to create what we call “dinner and a movie.”
The expenses of moving, combined with our desire to pay off all our debt as rapidly as possible has made this tradition scare of late. We’ve been trying to eat most, if not all of our meals, from groceries rather than from take out or eating out. Occasionally we splurge and have something from out, but not without being aware of its impact on our budget.
Balancing the desire to have a budget and stay within our means with the need for some reward in the form of a nice meal prepared by others isn’t always easy. This afternoon we remarked that we miss the Chinese take-out on Sunday evening. I know I miss the occasional lunch out at work. But we’ve stayed within our budget consistently for a couple of months now. Which is better, long-term monetary stability, or the occasional dinner from out? Perhaps some of both.